Does this sound familiar? “Well, I did have a second scoop of ice cream, but you know…I did a tough workout today.”
Or how about, “Yeah, I did dip into that cookie dough, but tomorrow’s another day. I’ll just have salad for lunch.”
Here’s the truth, folks: continual excuses can’t make progress.
You know what’s at the heart of these statements? Shame. We all do things we aren’t proud of and then we feel ashamed. Sometimes we react to that by making excuses for and justifying our actions. But shame doesn’t have to be a bad thing. It can help us stay on track.
When we feel that sense of shame because of too many donuts, sleeping through yet another workout, not meeting that weight loss goal, staying up too late because of a Gilmore Girls marathon…we have a choice as to how we will respond:
We can:
Refocus on our goal, choose to do something better and find the support we need.
Or…
Make a new goal.
The thing is, if you say you want to eat better and be healthier, then you can’t have a donut and eat it, too. You have to make a choice whether you want to pursue the healthy living goal or the donut. You can’t continue in the cycle of too much grace and no responsibility.
Now, we all slip up from time to time. And when that happens we don’t need to settle into negative self talk, berating ourselves for blowing it. But, we also don’t need to so easily let ourselves off the hook and say, “Oh, well. Tomorrow’s a new day! Maybe I’ll resist the temptation then.” We have a choice to refocus or reconsider that goal we made.
Yes, tomorrow is another day and another opportunity to do better. But, if we keep making excuses, we will never make progress towards our overall goal.
Have you been giving yourself too much grace lately when it comes to your fitness and nutrition goals? Are you struggling to lose those five extra pounds? Or is the baby weight not coming off as easily as you’d hoped (even though it has been a few years….)? Maybe you’re just tired of not feeling comfortable in your clothes?
If you’re ready to make a change, to refocus on your health and get the support that will get you results, then I’d like to invite you to join me for my next 21-day online challenge group.
If you’re ready to ditch the excuses, then fill out the application below before spots fill up.
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